The township of Mahwah, New Jersey, has experienced considerable urbanization due to its proximity to New York City. Ryan Ortiz and Susan Brydon Golz, from the Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, studied the effects of rapid increase in development within the Township of Mahwah, N.J. between 1986 and 1997 on deforestation and freshwater supply. They used geographic technologies to create a number of maps to both show changes in land use/land cover over time and to reveal high-priority areas for protection. They recommended that the Mahwah Environmental Commission work with the Township and County to develop a list of areas to protect.